Highlights
- Masenko, first introduced by Piccolo, is Gohan’s iconic attack in Dragon Ball, evolving in power as Gohan grew stronger.
- Hand positioning and stance are vital for Masenko’s full strength, similar to the Kamehameha, with a yellow or orange energy blast.
- Gohan’s Masenko variations include Double, Hyper, Full Power, Ultimate, and Masenko Beam Canon, showcasing his growth in power.
Dragon Ball is home to the most iconic moves and attacks in the entire anime industry. From Goku’s Kamehameha to Vegeta’s Galick Gun, these moves have been etched into the memories of the fans who have watched these characters grow since they were young. As most of the characters have developed, so too have their attacks, but most of them retain the most recognizable ones that they have been using since their inception.
Like the other iconic attacks, the one synonymous with Gohan is the Masenko. Introduced very early in Dragon Ball Z, Masenko is a mainstay of Gohan’s arsenal that has seen repeated use throughout the series, even though Gohan is not the same fighter that he was back in his childhood. So, let’s take a look at Masenko and see why it is Gohan’s most iconic, as well as one of his most powerful, attacks!
What Is The Masenko?
|
First Manga Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 29, “Piccolo’s Last Stand” |
|---|---|
|
First Anime Appearance |
Dragon Ball, Episode 124, “Temple Above the Clouds” |
|
Notable Users |
Gohan, Piccolo |
Though this move is synonymous with Gohan, it owes its creation to none other than Piccolo. First seen in the Piccolo Jr. arc in the original Dragon Ball, this attack was introduced as a vital part of Piccolo’s move set that he used against Tai’s dog. Though he was a mere child at this stage, this attack gave him some sort of inkling of the latent battle power that he possessed.
How Masenko is Performed
Much like the Kamehameha, the hand positioning and stance are vital for the attack to come out at its full strength. The Ki blast requires the user to place their hands above their heads (though Kid Gohan placed them at forehead level) with their palms facing their target and the fingers of each hand pointing in different directions. Just like the Kamehameha, the user then yells the name of the move, which is followed by an energy blast of yellow or orange color shooting out from the hands.
Notable Uses Of The Masenko
As stated previously, the first known usage of the attack was in Dragon Ball, where a child Piccolo used a weaker version of the attack to scare off Tai’s dog who had been following him. The first time that Gohan used it, however, was in the Saiyan Saga after Nappa killed Piccolo. In a fit of rage, Gohan’s power level spiked up significantly and he fired it at Nappa, though the Saiyan was able to punch away the blast quite easily.
Far later on in Episode 40 of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan once again used an incomplete version of the attack where he fired it off to subdue a fire to protect a girl. The next few instances of the attack were in the Namek Saga, where he used the move differently in Episode 41 to propel himself out of the water by shooting the Ki blast with just one hand.
Gohan’s use of Masenko was shown to improve, as he used it to great success against the Ginyu Force and even performed very well against Frieza’s third form, though it was held back by the Frost Demon. After achieving his final transformation, Frieza fought Piccolo in a very one-sided fight where the Namekian used Masenko yet again but did not perform the stance or the hand positioning, simply using it like a regular Ki blast from one hand. Even as Frieza was about to kill Piccolo, Gohan’s Masenko did substantial damage to him.
Moving on, as the series progressed and the characters became even stronger, Masenko saw a drop in the frequency it was used. Though the subsequent arcs saw a few instances of the attack, they were pretty standard. In the Cell Saga, however, Piccolo was seen using this move yet again to help Gohan, who was in the middle of using his Father-Son Kamehameha.
Even in the timeline of Future Trunks in the Android Saga, Future Gohan uses a special Masenko against Androids 17 and 18. In the Buu Saga, Ultimate Buu’s Kamikaze Ghosts use Masenko in the battle against Vegito and the move wouldn’t be seen in canon again until Super’s Goku Black Arc, where Trunks uses it against the titular villain. Finally, it was last seen in the Tournament of Power arc, where Gohan uses Masenko against the Universe 6 Namekians and Dyspo.
Variations of the Masenko
- Double Masenko: A dual-handed version of the attack used by Gohan against Garlic Jr’s henchmen, Spice and Vinegar.
- Hyper Masenko: The version of the Masenko used by Super Saiyan Future Gohan against the Androids in his timeline.
- Full Power Masenko: This was the version that he used against Frieza, by charging it up fully into a massive ball of Ki in front of him before firing it off.
- Ultimate Masenko: This version of the Masenko is the strongest one that Gohan uses. The beam itself is much bigger than other variations and the flash is white, which he used against Frieza’s final form.
- Masenko Beam Canon: During the Tournament of Power, Gohan used his Masenko and merged it with Piccolo’s Special Beam Canon.
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